Land of the Lustrous: Manga Volume 12 Reaction!
Added 2025-03-22 17:00:07 +0000 UTC*GODLY HEADPHONE WARNINGS*
I am honestly....for a rare moment...SPEECHLESS. I still have one volume to go, and there are remaining questions FOR SURE, but this volume was one of the most insane things I've read in a while...and the full circle moment...I'm just FLOORED. That's all I can say!
Thank you for watching with me and for all the support!
Comments
This volume was just so devastating! I hated seeing all of the gems be wrecked by Phos. š And yes, āToo Little Too Lateā is a major theme at this point of the story. And seeing Phos forget all their times together and just destroying all of them to get to Adamantā¦including Cinnabar? I was so sure that Cinnabar and Phos would be able to pull through as a ship, butā¦.nope. And ugh, while I was happy at Cinnabarās happiness throughout this volume, because of distancing from Phos in the craziest of waysā¦it was still so sad to see Phos left behindā¦and then tortured into becoming a deity, essentially. And yeahā¦the uniqueness of all the gems fading to look the same as Lustrous and then becoming the same as Lunarians? Itās so sad. And I definitely think itās a commentary on humans becoming uniform and not embracing what makes them all unique. Ugh. I hate it there. And the fact that they could have helped the gems ALL ALONG but didnāt so to increase Phosās struggles and then they ended up able to do it without using the Admirabilis, unlike what they told Phos originally? It was so cruel and I agree, itās a bit gross to bring back gems and make them Lunarians without consent. Kongo getting brought back was insane and so weird. And the idea that love originally broke him? I could see that - he just didnāt want to be alone because he wanted to liveā¦so they justā¦make Phos someone that DOESNāT want to live with any of them. š The 10,000 years alone just made me so sad for Phos. And then the connection to the Doctor!? WIld. And Phos just giving the Lunarians what they wanted in the end, because theyāre kind? Ugh. I will say, Phosās godly look is really beautiful! At least thereās that for them! And yeah, a volume AFTER ALL THIS?! Why what could it be about? Thank you for the comment and kind words!
Romaniablack
2025-04-02 21:13:46 +0000 UTCThe way this volume made my stomach drop was not a pretty sight. I was *devastated* by the end of it. The fights between Phos and Euclace, Jade, and specially Cinnabar were heartbreaking in all the ways that they showed how much Phos was raging. And seeing the devastation that they left in their path? Not a pretty sight at all. "Too little, too late" is a phrase that comes to mind when I think about Euclace and Phos's fight, what with Eu telling Phos that they wanted to help them, and Jade saying that they wanted to understand Phos; but it also comes to my mind because it's not quite true, is it? At least, not in the gemstones world. It is as Euclace said, they were eternal beings that had, literally all the time in the world to work out their differences and change, there wasn't supposed to be any "too late" for them, but because of Aechmea's meddeling Phos forgot all of their good memories and was left only with pain, rushed and carefully cultivated to get to this point. And it only left devastation in its wake. And then wer have the Cinnabat/Phos fight... and that one hurt specially bad because, much like you, I, too, was a fierce believer of CinnaPhos when watching the anime, and that did not happen at all how I expected it. Cinnabar and Phos are such great paralles to each other. Seeing how happy Cinnabar was just being able to be a part of the group, even when there was still this barrier between them and the rest of the gems because of their mercury; and seeing how the more Phos became a part of the gems, the more they distanced themselves and couldn't stop and appreciate what they had, always striving for something else, something more, and eventually coming to their destruction because of it, regardless of Aechmea's manipulation, it was Phos's own actions that greatly played into Aechmea's schemes. Seeing the promise from the very beginning fulfilled like this was not in my bing card for this show, but I really appreciate that we came full circle with it, even if it completely broke my heart seeing just how distorted that culmination was to what I had imagined it to be. The gems were all unique and beautiful. It was mentioned that it was even weird for two gems of the same kind to be born after the last one was destroyed in the moon. We certainly don't see two ever exist at the same time. They were distinct, and this brought them heartache, yes, but it made them so beautiful and unique, individual as you said in the commentary. That being said, they had wanted to look the same, uniform, from the very beginning with Red Diamond asking Sensei to make them look like him, and getting the white powder in them. We have them using literal uniforms that Red Beril makes. And now, they are just the same as all the lunarians who, from the beginning, have being indistinguishable from one another. And that makes me really sad. But, humans wanting to leave aside their individuality and uniqueness to fit the common and pass as one more of the multitude is crazy, right? Definitely not something that we would ever do. I particularly hated, though, how they transformed the broken gems that they recovered form the war on Earth, and the lost gems that the lunatians had grounded into dust, into lunarians without their concent. Sure, it was the only way that the lost gems could ever come back, and that is a good thing, but I don't think all of them would have appreciated coming back as the bodies of their worst enemies all of a sudden. It felt like a huge violation, and super gross to me. I think I hated Phos, for the part they play in all of that, and the lunarians a lot for it. Huh, I've never liked Aechmea and Cairngorm but couldn't quite articulate why they felt so wrong to me, but hearing you say how abusive and manipulative it all feels really made it click for me. The timeline of Kongo breaking is so interesting to me; because Aechmea says it happened around the time that the first gem was found, and we know Kongo loves the gems so much; so, did he not not want to pray because he didn't want all of humanity to disappear, as we know that would happen if he prayed, broke him because that was his purpose, to pray, but he DIDN'T WANT TO LOS THE GEMS? Is it LOVE what broke him? Is that what this means? Phos covered with the mercury, they looked very *human* to me, in that moment. THE FREAKING REVELATION THAT PHOS NEEDED TO SPEND 10,000 YEARS ALONE had me gasping so loud. Wasn't it enough that they had suffered all they did? Apparently not; now, for the collective good, they had to endure agony for an eternity until it changed them so much. Look, when I read this volume, which was a few weeks back and in a mad rush becasue I couldn't put it down at that point, I had this half formed thought that the Doctor was having visions of Phos and was connected to them somehow, but, BUT, nope, you're right, THEY ARE PHOS IN THEIR PREVIOUS LIFE. And the fact that they have being so connected to Kongo for so long is fascinated. I'm here, by the way, drowning in the memory that the first thing, the first way anyone described Phos by was "they are the kindest" (as seen in that one flashback of Sensei teaching Phos right after they formed) only for Phos to COMPLETELY LOOSE that and them forgetting all about that.... yeah, this manga really doesn't pull their punched. But, in the end, Phos is kind still, aren't they? Considering that they did pray for all the lunarians, even though they could have just not done that. I AM SO OBSESSED WITH PHOS'S GODLY LOOKS. I swear, I have so many screenshots of them. So ethereal, so gorgeous. What even can another volume be needed for?! Was exactly what my brain screeched once I finished this volume.
Alexandra Q
2025-03-26 04:39:05 +0000 UTCYeah, I canāt say I got āpeaceā from this volume at allā¦just heartbreak. And I didnāt hate or think the Lunarians were villainous, but definitely Aechmea - how people donāt see his actions mimicking HOW many countless villains in other series? Is beyond me. But yeah, manipulative is not exactly a āvirtue of kindnessā to me, here. Just my opinion. The fight between Cinnabar and Phos was so sad and beautifully drawn. I donāt think that Kongo was human, personally - I think the doctor made him more human in appearance, but could he have gained sentience? Iām sure he could have because he definitely seemed to be relieved when he fell apart. It also makes sense for Aechmea to be manipulating Phos into taking the eye as well to become a deity. Yeah, I agree that the Lustrous are naive compared to the Lunarians. Hahaha, ten thousand years of paperwork? Heād probably push it off to Barbata! ;) I just donāt like the ick factor of Aechmea - his grooming of Cairngorm, his want of control and manipulation - they are all classic villainous behavior and even if the gems āchose,ā he very much manipulated and orchestrated them to have no other options - they were sheep cornered into making an inevitable choice. The one aspect they got to do is what was beyond that choice - like Amethyst and Cinnabar, etc. I did feel happy for Cinnabar to at least get to experience happiness, even if it was cultivated. I donāt know how torturing a gemstone from birth to deity-hood, to the point where they long for death isā¦hopeful? How can we not feel horrible for Phos being put through all this? Granted their deity form is really beautiful and no, I have not read the last volume yet, so glad you didnāt spoil me! I donāt have a happy feeling going into this volumeā¦but eh? Weāll see. Thanks for the comment!
Romaniablack
2025-03-25 18:43:10 +0000 UTCI really did tear up with this one - it was so GUTTING and powerful. I hate that itās only after destroying all the gems around them, including one they were fighting for to begin with, that THEN they calm down, like theyāre just completely defeated. I think the doctorās contempt for humanity is FASCINATING. And I believe, like you said, the mangaka is getting onto humanity for how horrible they are. Itās so sad that that kiss is the ONE bit of compassion Phos gets - now, not that sensei wouldnāt give Phos it earlier, but for sensei itās differentā¦because heās not humanity. Yeah, and Phosās design change, from childish - to a teen girl (feminine) to monstrous - to more āatlasā masculine - to a more androgynous design as the ādeityā formā¦itās wild. Yeah, itās weird how Iām so speechless about this volume as a whole, but those individual moments you can go on endlessly about. Thank you for the comment! One to go!
Romaniablack
2025-03-25 18:34:10 +0000 UTCThis is my favorite volume out of all of them. For me, it gives me a sense of peace. It gave you anxiety! Hahahahah! You still donāt seem to trust the Lunarians! I guess once a villain always a villain! Especially Aechmea! And thatās ok. I never got the sense that the Lunarians were devious. Yeah, they were manipulative, to get what they needed which was peace. I can definitely understand that! It may be because Iāve seen parents suffering a long and horrendous drawn out end. I myself wanted peace for them. I tried to causally google the meaning of that armband with no concrete results as it pertains to this manga. Personally, I donāt read it as a nazi thing. I know that lots of cultures, including Japanese, tend to wear such things to differentiate between offices. I read it as more mundane and bureaucratic in nature. He was a civil servant after all, and a low ranking one. I think itās funny that they describe him as emo! Must be a transition thing. The fight between Cinnabar and Phos always remind me of Ferrofluid. https://youtu.be/aQPh6paW_js?si=1qjfkzTpKBMoHh1N The whole Kongo thing is something that Iām still trying to figure out. Even if Kongo was a sentient machine, I donāt think he was a bit humanā¦.. or was he. Did his mother imbibe him with some sort of humanity. To me, when he falls apart, it feels like he is relieved. I was happy for him. A job well done Kongo! I also do not think that Aechmea wanted the eyeā¦ I think he was manipulating Phos into keeping it, and what better place to keep it than in their eye socket. Phos was tricked into being a god, for better or worse. The Lunarians were eventually not happy and wanted to move on. Yes, the Lustrous, to me wanted to be like Lunarians. It might be a bit of the grass is greener, and for the Lusterous it is different! Itās a novelty for them and they have not existed as long as the Lunarians haveā¦. They are young compared to Aechmea and Kongo. And Iād argue, a bit naive. Deep time is very hard for people to wrap their heads around. Ten thousand yrs is a long time! I never felt that Aechmea wanted to rule over them, he seems to not really relish that role, to meā¦. I mean, the paperwork must be terrible after ten thousand years! Hahahahah! I give the Lunarians and Aechmea more leeway and do not view them as sinister. The Gems chose to be Lunarians, and they did retain their individual personalities and of course, Cinnabar is able to touch flowers. I think they got the best of both worlds. So, the story, Childhoods End has a somewhat similar ending. I donāt feel that ick factor that you are feeling and it may because of my favorite childhood story. I always found it to be a good ending and it always filled me with hope for humanity. I love Phosās god form, Iām sure youāve read the last volume by nowā¦ā¦cannot wait for that discussion! Also, Huckleberry! What a cutie!!! š„°
Moominkomet
2025-03-23 00:45:34 +0000 UTCThis volume is one I could talk about for hours, it's probably my favorite one and it's probably the most heartbreaking and the one I always end up crying while reading. Especially chapter 94, 95 and 97, the way Phos kind of "calms down" after defeating Cinnabar and questioning what they're doing in horror and their anger kind of extinguishing for a moment. Then there's Phos getting Kongos eye and them being left on earth. And then *everything* about chapter 97, the doctors advice and her contempt for humanity is so interesting, I think the author herself is speaking through the doctor atleast to some extent. The kiss she gives Phos, the first bit of compassion and tenderness Phos receives since.. god knows when is especially memorable to me (and heartbreaking) I don't want to write too much so I'll just mention how much I love Phosphophyllites designs in this volume. From the monstrous one eyed Phos, to the more "masculine", more realistically proportioned "human" Phos, to the absolutely beautiful Phos at the end. It's all fantastic and something I could ramble on about for hours, just like everything in this volume.
bloink
2025-03-22 19:01:47 +0000 UTC
